Flexible stiffening element for body-supporting garments



y 5, 1953 CAMILLA BACHMANN, NEE KLEE 2,637,041

FLEXIBLE STIFFENING ELEMENT FOR BODY-SUPPORTING GARMENTS Filed July 11. 1950 Fig. 1.

,IQINVENTOR.

' MW m A T-TQRNEY Patented May 5, 1953 OFFICE FLEXIBLE STIFFENING ELEMENT FOR BODY- SUPPORTING GARMENTS Camilla Baclxmann nee-Klee, Hamburg- Eahrenfeld, Germany Application July 11, 1950,. Serial No. 173,053 In Germany July 12, 1949 (C1. 2 -25Ui Claims.

Bust-bodices with breast-pockets in which formable strengthenings can be put in are well known. Rods of whalebone, steel or Celluloid, elastic stripes or little plates and aluminum- .foils are used as s'tifie'11ing-means. All these linings put a disadvantageous pressure on the breast and become affected by perspiration. Plates of bruised cork, fastened by plastic masses have been proposed, and an aluminum-foil has been laid into the bruised-cork-mass. Nevertheless, the cork-plates during a short period of use be- Come brittle, and therefore, useless, the plateedges, causing dragmarks.

These disadvantages are overcome by the pres ent invention concerning a bust-bodice with breast-pockets having shapeable stiffenings (German: Verstarkungen). These stiffenings. consist of a lining, able to be shaped and inserted in a soft, yielding envelope of natural or artificial caoutchouc. According to a favoured type of the invention in question, the yielding envelope sticks out over the edge of the lining. The lining, too, can be pierced, that is, perforated, the envelope therefore being connected through the holes. According to a further type of the present invention, the stiiiening decreases in its thickness towards the edge so that it can be perforated, and the envelope can stick out over the edge of the stiffenings holes.

In the drawing, one type of the invention is illustrated by way of example in which,

Fig. 1 illustrates a lining of perforated alumihum-foil.

Fig. 2 illustrates the complete stifiening-lining (German: Versteifungs einlage), with caoutchouc-envelope.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view in the direction A-B, according to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a bust-bodice with breast-pockets, in which stiffenings are inserted in the latter.

Fig. 5 is a section, similar to that of Fig. 3, having smoothed or decreasing s-tifiening at the edges.

Fig. 6 is a section through a perforated stiffenmg.

Fig. 7 is a section in direction CD, according to Fig. 6.

An aluminum-foil 5, having holes or slits 2, is inserted in a rubber-mass, in a way that the foil i is completely surrounded by the rubber-mass Ii, sticking out at the edges with a border of 2 to 5 mm. The rubber-mass consists of soft-rubber, and therefore a soft yielding border 4 is obtained, inserta'ble into the breast-pocket of the bustbodice in such a manner, that no marked edges 2 can be caused. The upper border i' fits snugly to the structure of the body, so that the stiffening cannot be perceived from the outside. This new stiffening will prevent undesirable pressure upon the female breast.

Suitably, the rubber-envelope 3 is vulcanized round about the foil l. Penetrating the perforations 2 of the foil I, the rubber-mass in fact is unsolvably connected with the foil 1.

The decreasing of the foil l towards its edges, causing an imperceptible transition into the soft rubber-border it is seen in Fig. 5, has also turned out to be useful. Instead Of aluminum, other metals, like tin can be used for the lining. A tissue or a netting of metal-threads, elastic artificial or natura1 fibres, or artificial or natural horse-hair of textile-fibres etc., can also be used as a lining. Because the tissue is pervious, the soft rubber-mass penetrating through the cavity, can be connected by vulcanization.

Any pressure or pricking by sharp edges or projecting wires is avoided by the complete insertion of the foils or tissues. In a complete and yielding way, the soft border 4 conforms to the structure of the body. The stiffening linings are laid into the breast-pockets 5 of the bust-bodice 6 (Fig. 4) and the wearer will be able to shape them in any manner to conform to the contour of her breast.

In order to obtain proper ventilation the stifiening-lining can, too, be perforated by holes, slits, etc, as illustrated at 1 in Figures 6 and 7. At these stiffenings, too, the envelope 3 protruding at the edges of the holes I.

The stiffenings are unbreakable and therefore longlasting. They dont absorb any moisture and they are Washable. They are unobjectable anatolically and hygienically. Because of certain chemical admixtures, added to the rubbermass, also by warmth, any rise of caoutchoucscent will be prevented by means of this special kind of rubber.

I claim:

1. A flexible stiffening element adapted to be removably associated with a body supporting garment for stiffening selected portions of said garment, which comprises a flat member formed from flexible non-resilient metal manually deformable and having the characteristic of retaining the shape to which it is deformed embedded in a soft, flexible rubber envelope, said rubber envelope completely surrounding said deformable member throughout its length and being vulcanized thereto, whereby said member is permanently and wholly enclosed in said envelope,

said rubber envelope having a portion extending outwardly beyond the edges of said member to provide a thin peripheral rubber edge around said member.

2. A flexible stiffening element adapted to be removably associated with a body supporting garment for stiffening selected. portions of said garment, which comprises a flat member formed from flexible non-resilient metal manually deformable and having the characteristic of retaining the shape to which it is deformed embedded in a soft, flexible rubber envelope, said rubber envelope completely surrounding said deformable member and being vulcanized thereto, whereby said member is permanently and wholly enclosed in said envelope, said rubber element having a portion extending outwardly beyond the edges of said member to provide a thin rubber rim extending continuously around the periphery of said member.

3. A flexible stiffening element adapted to be removably associated with a body supporting garment for stiffening selected portions of said garment, which comprises a flat member formed from flexible manually deformable non-resilient metal embedded in a soft, flexible rubber envelope, said rubber envelope completely surrounding said member and being vulcanized thereto, whereby said member is permanently and wholly enclosed in said envelope, said rubber element having a portion extending laterally outwardly beyond the edges of said member to provide a rubber rim therearound, said rubber rim tapering radially outwardly to a thin peripheral edge.

4. A flexible stiffening element adapted to be removably associated with a body supporting garment for stiffening selected portions of said garment, which comprises a flat member formed from flexible manually deformable non-resilient metal, said element being of decreasing thickness in the direction of its peripheral edges and being embedded in a soft, flexible rubber envelope, said rubber envelope completely surrounding said member and being vulcanized thereto, whereby said member is permanently and wholly enclosed in said envelope, said rubber element having a portion extending laterally outwardly beyond the edges of said member to provide a rubber rim therearound, said rubber rim tapering outwardly to a thin peripheral edge.

5. A flexible stiffening element adapted to be removably associated with a body supporting garment for stiffening selected portions of said garment, which comprises a flat perforated member formed from flexible manually deformable non-resilient metal embedded in a soft flexible rubber envelope, said rubber envelope completely surrounding said member and being vulcanized thereto, whereby said member is permanently and wholly enclosed in said envelope, said rubber element having a portion extending laterally outwardly beyond the edges of said member to provide a rubber rim therearound, said rubber rim tapering outwardly to a thin peripheral edge, said rubber envelope having portions extending through the perforations in the deformable element from one side of the rubber envelope to the other.

CAMILLA BACHMANN, NEE KLEE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,297,742 Shorrock Mar. 18, 1919 2,061,402 I-Iollar Nov. 17, 1936 2,191,545 Schneider Feb. 27, 1940 2,196,492 Clark et al Apr. 9, 1940 2,266,953 Blue Dec. 23, 1941 2,334,529 Amyot Nov. 16, 1943 2,391,417 Hill Dec. 25, 1945 2,482,255 Florsheim Sept. 20, 1949 

